Madeleine Cruise & Ruby Pilven: The golden pantomime

For Ballarat-based artists Madeleine Cruise and Ruby Pilven, the process of creating artworks is as important as the artworks themselves – it is a daily necessity much like preparing and eating a meal. In developing this collaborative exhibition, the two came together at the dining table to tell the stories of their lives – the table, set with a glittering array of vessels and painted objects, becomes a stage where domestic theatre plays out. The golden pantomime is a showcase of artworks produced by Cruise and Pilven individually and in response to each other’s work. Pilven’s porcelain and stoneware ceramic pieces are based on both historical and imagined forms that act as storytellers and props from domestic and natural spaces. Likewise, Cruise’s interior paintings feature tableware and decorative objects that celebrate the ritual in everyday life. The artists have also made a series of collaborative works with the common theme of still life as spectacle. These include lyrically painted ceramic pieces and small theatrical sets that reference the architecture of Ballarat, their shared home.